Maverick
by Michael2
Summary: A terrorist slips away from a raid by Navy SEALs
1. Chapter 1

DAY 1

1850 ZULU

BASRA, IRAQ

It is late evening, and U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander Curtis Rivers waits under the stars as he looks at the fortified compound. He and his team of Navy Sea, Air, and Land forces (SEALs) are standing by to go in and raid the place for a known terrorist.

"Are you sure he is in there?" asks the lieutenant commander.

"I'm sure," says Colonel Hamdi Azid of the Iraqi Army. "We have reliable intelligence."

Suddenly, they hear gunfire.

"What the hell?" asks Rivers. He speaks into his radio. "What the hell is going on? I didn't give the signal to attack! Answer me!"

He looks at his team of Navy SEALs, and they look back at him.

"This is Alpha Team to Steel Rain," says Rivers. "Take down the main gate."

He and the other SEALs wait. Suddenly, shells from a U.S. Marine Corps M777 howitzer rain down on the thick concrete wall surrounding the compound. Repeated barragesd from the depleted-uranium shells take their toll, creating a breach in the wall. One of the Navy SEALs, sporting a machine gun, proviudes cover fire as Rivers and the others pentrate through the blasted gate.

The men stand against the wall. Rivers takes out an M67 grenadem pulls the pin, and tosses it through the front door. Seconds later it explodes, spraying lethal shrapnel everywhere. The SEALs, clutching their Heckler and Koch MP5's and dressed in their MARPAT camoflauge, enter the main building. They fgo through the corridors, searching each room for terrorists.

In a room which appears to be used as a kitchen, due to the presence of a refrigerator and stove, Rivers and his main team meet with the other team.

"You were supposed to wait until my signal," Rivers scold.

"Sir, I...," says one of the men who apparently leads the other team.

"We'll discuss this later; let's search this place."

And so the SEALs search for any hostiles that might be lying in wait, either with assault rifles or explosives strapped around the waist. After a few minutes of searching, they all meet.

"No sign of the package here, sir," one of the SEALs says to Commander Rivers.

"Call for the extraction," replies the commander. 


	2. Chapter 2

DAY 2

1530 ZULU

JAG HEADQUARTERS

FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA

Commander Sturgis Turner sits inside his private office in JAG Headquarters reading through some law books. The former submariner had been assigned to JAG Headquarters for the past four years now. As lawyer, he would review cases, and sometimes conduct JAG investigations or serve as judge advocates in courts-martial.

A woman with brown hair tied in a bun stands at the door. Her rank insignia on her left sleeve indicates that she is a petty officer first class. She looks into the commander's small office, whiose only decoration is a U.S. Navy recruitment poster with a submarine as its centerpiece.

"Commander, General Cresswell wishes to see you, sir," says Petty Officer First Class Jennifer Coates.

"On my way," replies Sturgis, putting down the folder he was looking at. He leaves his office and walks across the main office of JAG Headquarters, glancing at the Navy and Marine Corps lawyers performing their duties.

He enters a private office, much larger than his own. The floor is covered by a carpet. Diplomas hang from the back wall, and a television set adorns the left wall. The centerpiece of the office is a wooden desk. Sturgis is familiar with the office, as he had once served as head of JAG administration.

Two other people were in the room; both of them dressed in olive Marine dress uniforms. One of them is a Marine captain who had been assigned here back in May of this year. The other Marine, sitting behind the desk, is a Marine major general who had served as the Navy's Judge Advocate General since September of 2004.

The sailor and the Marine stand at attention as the general begins to speak.

"Last night, a team of Navy SEALs were trying to capture an insurgent leader in Iraq," says Major General Gordon M. Cresswell. "The mission was a failure, and the commander of the SEAL team has accused one of his men of disobeying orders. Turner, Bullrider, you will be going to Iraq and find out what happened. Your plane leaves tonight."

"Aye aye, sir," the two lawyers reply.

They both leave the general's office. Captain Carlos Bullrider approaches a Navy lieutenant walking across the room holding a file folder in his hand.

"Oh, hi Greg," says the Marine captain.

"What's up, Carlos?" asks Lieutenant Gregory Vukovic, a Navy lawyer assigned to JAG Headquarters.

"I can't come to poker tonight."

"What's wrong?" asks the lieutenant.

"I'm leaving for Iraq tonight."

"Oh," says Vukovic. "Well, uh, have a safe trip."

"Have fun in your poker game," replies Bullrider. "Good luck."

ooooooooooo

DAY 3

1242 ZULU

NAVY/MARINE CORPS BARRACKS

BAGHDAD, IRAQ

Sturgis sits down inside the car as it approaches a fortified compound in Baghdad, Iraq. An American flag flies proudly from a flagpole. 

"Welcome, sir," says a Marine MP. The driver of the car drives through the gates and into the American base.

Sturgis and Bullrider walk out. The two JAG lawyers can clearly see the massive fortifications such as thick concrete walls and fortifeiud guard towers. The walls are not enough to withstand a howitzer bombardment; it is more than sufficient to repel IEDs (improvised explosive devices). Some of the buildings are made of brick, others are quonset huts. A Marine guides them to the building where the Navy SEAL team is billeted. It is a small, two-story building.

The two lawyers enter the room.

"May I help you, sirs?" asks a Navy petty officer third class.

"We're here to see Lieutenant Commander Rivers," says Sturgis. "We're from JAG."

"I was told to expect you, sirs. Right this way."

The two lawyers are led up a flight of stairs and into a hallway. They enter one of the doors.

Thety enter a small, cramped office with no decorations except for a Navy recruitment poster featuring the Navy SEALs. There is just a desk, a laptop computer, and some file cabinets.

Behind the desk sits a man wearing a khaki uniform. He is bald and has a moustache. The gold-leaf insignia indicates that he is a lieutenant commander in the United States Navy. Pinned to his left breast is a pin shaped like an eagle holding a trident in its claws.

"Lieutenant Commander Curtis Rivers," says the man.

"Commander Turner from JAG," says Sturgis. "And this is Captain Bullrider."

"A Marine," says Strugis.

"Yes, sir," replies the Marine captain. He looks at Rivers's ribbon. "Medal of Honor?"

"One of the few active-duty servicemen who get to wear the ribbon," says Rivers."Few get the opportunity. Few rise up to the challenge. Few survive."

"As I understand it, you claim that a subordinate had disobeyed orders, resulting in the failure of your mission, is that correct?" asks Sturgis.

"Yes, sir," replies Commander Rivers. "You have the security clearance?"

"Right here, Commander," says Sturgis.

Rivers looks at the two lawyers' security clearance. "Two days ago we were briefed on a mission," he says. "Iraqi intelligence learned that the terrorist Amad bin Atwa was operating from a compound near Basra. I led the main assault force, while Petty Officer First Class Christian Shaw led the second team. Shaw and his team were supposed to go in on my signal. They jumped the gun. we took the compound, but he wasn't there."

"Sir, what did Petty Officer Shaw say?' asks Bullrider.

"He claimed he got the signal," says the Navy SEAL officer. "But he has had a track record of doing this before, both here and in Afghanistan."

"Do you remember these incidents?"

"Yes, sir. During a mission two years ago in Afghanistan, he abandoned his position. We were lucky we succeeded; I had a little talk with Petty Officer Shaw."

"How would you describe Petty Officer Shaw?"

"He has this wild streak in him. He clearly isn't a team player, in my opinion."

"So why did you assign him as a fire team leader for this particular mission?" asks Sturgis.

"Aside from his low discipline, he's good," says Rivers. "Back in Afghanistan, he took out a sniper aiming for me. But I can't have him ignoring regulations and orders. One day, he will get someone in my team killed."

"And what did he say about it, sir?" asks Bullrider.

"He claims he heard the order to go in. I know I didn't give the order."

"Could he have just been mistaken?"

"Given his past record," says the SEAL commander. "He's just making an excuse."

ooooooooooooooooo

"So you say that you heard the order by radio, is that right Petty Officer Shaw?" asks Sturgis, sitting inside an office in the base.

"Yes, sir," says a young man with a shaved head, dressed in fatigues. "I heard the signal and we went in. We took the palce with no casualties, but bin Atwa wasn' there. The Iraqis are holding some of the captured insurgents."

"Commander Rivers says he never gasve the order to go in," says Captain Bullrider. "So if he didn't give the order, who did?"

"I am telling you what I heard," says Petty Officer Christian Shaw. "I heard the order and brought my squad in."

"Or you simply are making it up because you disobeyed orders."

"No, sir. I did not!"

"We spoke to your commander," says Bullrider. "You have a track record of doing things your own way. He chewed you out over what you did during a mission in Afghanistan."

"In combat sitautions, all you have is instinct," says the petty officer.

"And discipline doesn't matter?" asks the Marine captain. "Discipline is what keeps sailors and Marines alive. Discipline is what allows them to perform smoothly, instead of like some chaotic mob that would be slaughtered quickly."

"I heard the order over the radio and I went in," says Shaw. "That is all I'm gonna say, sir."

oooooooooooo

"Amad bin Atwa is implicated in the USS Cole bombing six years ago," says Rear Admiral David Pruit, standing with American and Iraqi officers in front of a wooden table inside a large room. "The Mossad found out that he was in Iraq leading insurgents."

"And he was tracked to Basra, right?" asks Sturgis.

"That is right," says an Iraqi officer, clad in his dress uniform. "After we verified his hideout, we made the decision to take him. Obviously he slipped away."

"Why take him alive instead of simply launching an airstrike?" asks Bullrider.

"We believe there might be some intelligence inside the hitdeout," says Admiral Pruit. "We're still analyzing."

"So what do you think of the accusation by Lieutenant Commander Rivers?" asks Sturgis.

"I'll need to find out what happened, with your help of course."

"Of course, sir," says Sturgis.

ooooooooooo

"We've been looking for bin Atwa since we identified him here," says an Iraqi sergeant as he walks just outside the headquarters building. "I helped plan the mission that your SEALs participated in."

"I was wondering," says Captain Bullrider. "What did you do during the invasion?"

"My unit was in Baghdad," says the Iraqi soldier. "I was a sniper. I took out three of the enemy."

"Oh," replies the Marine captain, knowing whom the Iraqi meant by "the enemy". "I..I never met anyone who killed American troops in combat before."

"I'm a soldier; there was a war and I did my duty."

"So why are you working with us now?"

"You're not the enemy anymore. any way, I am Sergeant Khalil Foumad. Ima an aide to Colonel Azid."

"Captain Carlos Bullrider from the Marine Corps."

oooooooooooooo

"It was around 2200 local time that the SEAL team requested howitzer support," says the Marine lieutenant, standing just a few feet away from the M777 howitzer that was used to provide artillery support for the SEAL mission.

"You overheard the radio chatter, right Lieutenant?" asks Bullrider.

"Some of it, sir."

"You never heard the order to go in?" asks the captain.

"I was aware that there were two teams," says the lieutenant. "I heard the order for the main team to go in."

"Was there an order given for the other team?" asks Bullrider.

"I would not know, sir."

"What did you hear?"

"I heard someone yell that they did not give the signal to arttack. I think that was Commander Rivers, sir."

oooooooooo

ABU GHRAIB PRISON

BAGHDAD, IRAQ

1405 ZULU

The Abu Ghraib prison is an old structure which was originally used to house political prisoners, and later used as a POW camp for captured Iraqi soldiers. memories of the POW abuse scandal two years ago is still fresh.

At this particular time and place, a captured terrorist is being interrogated in one of the concrete-lined interrogation rooms as Commander Sturgis Turner watches. Iraqi Army Colonel Hamdi Azid questions the terrorist.

Sturgis listens. He understands little Arabic, but from the tone he knows that the colonel is not in any good mood at all.

The interrogation lasts about two hours. At one point, the colonel slaps the terrorist in the face.

"He's not talking," the colonel says after he leaves the room.

ooooooooooooo

1820 ZULU

That evening, Sturgis has dinner in a stateroom reserved for high-ranking officers.

"I understand you led the hunt for a terrorist in a submarine," says Admiral Pruit.

"Yes, sir, I did," replies the Navy commander, recalling the events three years ago. "I have a lot of experience as a submariner."

"We're hoping you could help us find Amad bin Atwa," says Commander Rivers.

"The scope of my investigation here is to find out what happened and what actions should be taken regarding Petty Officer Shaw," says Sturgis.

"And what would your advice be?" asks the admiral.

"We went through the tapes, and no one else heard any order to attack before Shaw's team went in," says Sturgis. "Because this happened during combat, I would recommend a court-martial.

"I agree," says Pruit. "A general court-martial for Petty Officer Shaw.

"That does seem a little extreme, sir," says Sturgis. "Why not a special court-martial?"

"His actions led to the escape of bin Atwa," says the admiral. 


	3. Chapter 3

1900 ZULU

JAG HEADQUARTERS

FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA

"So you are recommending a court-martial for Petty Officer Shaw?' asks General Cresswell as he talks on the phone inside his office.

"Yes, sir," replies Sturgis. "His commanding officer, Lieutenant Commander Rivers, mentioned that Petty Officer Shaw had a history of ignoring orders during missions."

"What does command say?"

"The admiral that briefed Rivers's team is recommending a general court-martial. I advised a special court-martial, but apparently the admiral disagrees. I would expect proceedings to begin by the end of this week."

"What did Petty Officer Shaw say?"

"He claims that he heard the order given," replies the commander.

"Keep me informed, Commander."

"Yes, sir."

Cresswell hangs up the telephone. He uses the computer to check his electronic mail.

He gets a message that the computer can not log onto the mail server. He tries again, and still there is no response.

He tries to access the Yahoo! web site; the Netscape web browser returns with a "Can Not Find Server" error.

He figures it might be his computer. He steps out of his office and into Petty Officer Coates's office.

"Excuse me, Coates," says the general, "the Internet on my computer is down."

"I'll go check to see if it's on my computer," replies Petty Officer Coates. She clicks the icon for Microsoft Internet Explorer, which would lead to the Microsft Internet Explorer page. What she gets is an error message.

"Maybe I should use another computer," mutters Cresswell. He walks out to the main office and uses one of the personal computers.

He can not access any web sites on that computer either.

He picks up a phone to call the JAG Headquarters technical support.

"JAG Headquarters technical support," says a male voice.

"This is General Cresswell," says Cresswell. "The Internet is down in the main office."

"We know, sir. We got several calls. We're on it."

"When can you restore Internet service?"

"We don't know, sir."

Cresswell hangs up the phone.

"Internet's down, right?" asks a female voice.

The general turns and sees a woman dressed in a Navy dress uniform. She is Commander Meg Austin, one of the Navy lawyers assigned to JAG Headquarters.

"Yes, it is, Commander," replies Cresswell.

"I did call the tech support staff," says Meg. "You know, I do have experience working with computers."

"Are you busy with any cases, Austin?"

"No, sir."

"Then I am assigning you to provide assistance to HQ Tech Support, and you will work with them until Internet service is restored."

"Yes, sir."

oooooooooo

1911 ZULU

Meg finds herself inside the JAG Headquarters computer room, located in the basement level. The place is lit with bright fluorescent lights, and several computers, looking like rectangular boxes, stand tall inside the room. The computers serve as the central servers for the United States Navy JAG Headquarters. A bespectacled man in his late twenties is checking behind the computers.

"Well, ma'am," says Warrant Officer Rick Marshall, looking at one of the cable connections, "there does not seem to be a loose physical connection."

"Could it be just the main office?" suggests the commander.

"No, ma'am. I got complaints from the other offices. It could be a virus or a worm, or maybe the network software's corrupted. You have any experience with computyer software, Commander?"

"Yes, I do, Warrant Officer. That's why the general asked me to assist you. My skills were valuable in solving a few cases. And you, Warrant Officer Marshall?"

"Ma'am, I have experience with computer guidance systems on board submarines. That's why I have this submariner badge pinned to my uniform."

"That's useful." Meg remembers that Commander Turner had been a submarine officer.

"Well, ma'am, let's take a look at the software. I would appreciate any assistance, of course."

"Of course," says Meg, smiling.

oooooooooooooo

DAY 4

0914 ZULU

BASRA, IRAQ

"Things have been relatively peaceful here since that attack on that terrorist's hudeout," says the U.S. Army captain in charge of the Army garrison in Basra.

"How much do you know about the mission?" asks Captain Bullrider.

"Not much. I was simply informed of an offensive and my people were to stay out of the way."

"I wonder if it was meant to be a trap," suggests Iraqi Army Sergeant Khalil Foumad. "If I remember, one of his men had a bomb srtrapped to him; he was killed before he could set it off."

Bullrider nodded. From the mission reports, he knows how worse it could have been if that terrorists had detonated the bomb.

"Captain, if I find out more, I'll contact you."

"Of course, Captain," replies the Marine.

Bullrider and the Iraqi sergeant head into the car, and early 1990's model Volkswagen. Sergrant Foumad starts the engine and puts the car in gear. He manuevers on the the road leading out of Basra. It is a busy day, what with people milling about, doing their best to live normal lives considering the circumstances.

Bullrider thinks about the case. He had not been deployed to a combat zone before, even though he knew it was possible he could be assigned to serve as a member of a Marine commander's legal staff. He could understand why some people might want to jump the gun in a combat situation. He remembers the war games simulations he attended back when he was a midshipman in the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis.

Suddenly, he jerks forward and sees the car had come to a complete stop.

"What the hell?" asks the Marine.

He then looks and sees a huge truck stopped ahead. He can hear the sound of gunfire, and can see thick black smoke rising from behind the truck.

Both he and Foumad make a quick egress out of the Volkswagen, taking whatever cover they can find.

The wisdom of their decision is demonstrated when the Volkswagen bursts into flames and scatters glass everywhere. Thick black smoke starts to rise up from the burning car.

Captain Bullrider takes a quick look at his surroundings. The street is narrow, about as wide as a typical residential street in Falls Church. But any comparsion with a quiet neighborhood in Falls Church ends there, if not for the rectasngular buildings built next to the street with signs in Arabic, then by the automatic weapons fire.

He notices soldiers opening fire with their M-16 rifles and M-79 grenade launchers. This is obviously some sort of ambush. Perhaps Amad bin Atwa had not fled Basra, let alone Iraq.

"Every Marine a rifleman," he utters. He had learned this both in Annapolis and in Quantico. He looks at Sergeant Foumad.

Foumad nods at him back, clutching his own submachingun. Submachineguns were effective for suppresive fire at close ranges, but lacked the accuracy of a good sniper rifle like the one he used during the American invasion.

Foumad runs towards one of the buildings. Bullrider looks up and sees a man on a rooftop armed with a machine gun. He squeezes off a burst from the Heckler and Koch MP-5 that he had been issued when he came here, and then concealed himself behind a barrel, not even checking to see if the man on top of the roof was dead.

Clearly, the enemy has the advantage; they hold the high ground. Clearly, he needs a more accurate weapon.

He then sees it - an M-16 lying on the ground, next to a fallen American soldier.

He runs and grabs the M-16. He then tuns over to the burning Volkswagen, knowing that the smoke will conceal him.

He looks and sees a man on the rooftop, armed with what appears to be an RPG launcher.

He takes aim and fires a short burst, bracing the stock against the shoulder.

The man with the RPG launcher is hit and falls forward.

"Over here, whisphers Foumad.

The two of them walk to the side of the building. Foumad jumps on the ladder, and Bullrider follows him. It is a fifteen-second climb to the rooftop.

Foumad clutches a pistol, one he himself modified. It has a longer barrel and is more accurate than most service pistols.

On top of the building are some ducts and air vents- just enouhg to provide concealment. The two men stay low to conceal themselves.

And there they see their target. One of the men is armed with a machine gun, spraying the street below with bullets. The other is clutching a rifle, providing cover for the machinegunner.

Foumad aims his modified pistol at the machinegunner and fires a bullet. The bullet punches through bone and brain tissue, and the machinegunner falls, mortally wounded. His partner turns around and sprays a three-round burst of rifle fire. He looks at the rooftop, cursing that there are too many places for an enemy to hide.

He then receives a pistol round to his head.

"I think it's over," says Bullrider. The gunfire had ceased.

"Look," says Foumad.

A few helicopters approach. Bullrider wonders if the insurgents had managed to acquire helicopters from Iran or Syria.

Then he recognizes them as AH-64 Apache helicopters.

He stands up and waves at the helicopters, hoping that the U.S. Army pilots can see them. Soon the Apaches are circling overhead. A UH-60 Blackhawk touches down at an intersection.

They both climb down from the building to greet the American soldiers who had arrived. Medics tend to some opf the wounded soldiers.

"Are you all right,sir?" a soldier asks the Marine captain.

"It was nothing," says Bullrider.

He then feels lightheaded. It must be after the stress of the events of the past few minutes.

He then sees his left hand covered in red.

He looks, and sees a huge, bright red patch on his khaki shirt.

"Medic!" he hears a soldier yell. 


	4. Chapter 4

1314 ZULU

NAVY/MARINE CORPS BARRACKS

BAGHDAD, IRAQ

Commander Sturgis Turner receives a call in the makeshift office that had been provided to himand Captain Carlos Bullrider.

"Commander Turner here," he says, speaking into the receiver. "Oh, I see...Where is he now?...Okay. Thank you, sir."

Sturgis hangs up the phone.

oooooooooooo

1340 ZULU

JAG HEADQUARTERS

FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA

"So Captain Bullrider's is in an Army hospital?" asks General Cresswell, speaking on the phone in his office.

"Yes, sir," replies Sturgis.

"What's his condition?"

"Last I heard, he was in critical condition. I'll let you know if I hear any further news."

"Okay, Turner, you do that."

The general hangs up the telephone. This is certainly an unexpected turn of events. He recalls that attack last year, when he had been a Marine colonel serving as a judge advocate for a Marine general. The helicopter was downed by a rocket propelled grenade, and he dragged the injured general away from the helicopter before it exploded. While recuperating at Bethseda Naval Hospital, he met President George W. Bush, who later nominated him for the Navy JAG post.

He walks out of his office and enters the main office.

"Is there something wrong, sir?" asks Navy Lieutenant Commander Bud Roberts, one of the lawyers assigned to JAG headquarters.

"I'll let you know when the time is right," replies Cresswell. "Go on with your duties, Commander."

ooooooooooooooo

1507 ZULU

NAVY/MARINE CORPS BARRACKS

BAGHDAD, IRAQ

Sturgis is still up, waiting for news on Captain Bullrider.

The telephone rings. His heart starts the race. What he may hear will either bring him relief, or devestate him.

"Commander Turner here," says the Navy commander.

"This is Admiral Pruit."

"Any news on Captain Bullrider?"

"He's still in the hospital, alive. I do have other news. We know the ambush was organized by bin Atwa's followers. You might want to hear this. This pertains to the casr you were investigating."

oooooooooooo

1525 ZULU

"I have some news for you, Petty Officer," says Sturgis, standing in a small room with Petty Officerm First Class Christian Shaw and Lieutenant Commander Curtis Rivers.

"What is it, sir?" asks the petty officer.

"Just this afternoon, there was an ambush in Basra on some Army soldiers. They managed to repel the ambush. They were responding to a request for backup, but no one had ever requested relief from the Basra garrison."

"So who did?"

"One of Bin Atwa's men made the request. They set up the ambush and then sent the request for backup."

"Which means that they could have done that during our mission," says Petty Officer Shaw. "They were definitely expecting us."

"There's no proof that is what happened during the mission," says Commander Rivers.

"But we wouldn't be able to prove otherwise," says Sturgis. "Based on this evidence, I recommdned that no charges be filed against Petty Officer Shaw. And we definitely need to secure our communications."

"I agree with the securing of communications part," says Rivers.

"Thank you, sir," Shaw says to the Navy lawyer.

"Shaw, if you ever show any insubordination on or off the field, you're going straight to the brig," says Rivers.

"Understood, sir."

ooooooooo

1840 ZULU

Sturgis sits on the plane as it flies him and other passengers and cargo back to the United States. Captain Bullrider is still in the hospital, waiting to be airlifted in an air ambulance.

"Take care, Marine," he mutters as the plane cuts through the air. 


End file.
